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Thursday, December 30, 2010

CNN has named New Zealand the second top destination in the world for 2011. New York City is number one. They noted that the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand, will be “adding excitement to an already popular destination.”

From there they talk about Wellington, “Lord of the Rings” scenery and luxury lodges, all of which is true and notable, but there’s so much more to the country than all of that, but it’s hard to fit all that in to five paragraphs.

New York is number one on the list because: “A huge tourist destination in any year, the city will be especially unforgettable as it marks the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks next year.” True, but that city, too, has so much more to offer.

Any favourable publicity is useful, and I hope that it does bring more Americans to visit New Zealand. It’s really worth it!

There's a part of Auckland called "Albany", though it's usually pronounced "AL-buh-nee", where the first syllable rhymes with the first name Al (like Al Smith). I've noticed that a more America pronunciation is slowly gaining ground, though. We now just called them "Aucklanders".

Actually, some of the other Albanys in the US DO use the pronounciation of AL-Bany rather than ALL-Bany. You can tell because the out-of-town announcers doing TV or radio ads say it that way; grates on the ear, but worse, loses that merchant cred.